TheOC

Drugs on TV have had a strange history. There have been after-school movies, very special sitcom episodes and even entire dramas based around illegal substances.

Sometimes, drug abuse on TV is used to teach the audience a lesson, while other times writers have characters develop an addiction as a way of making them more human in a flawed sense.

One of the most recent drug abusers comes to us in the form of Edie Falco's title character on 'Nurse Jackie.' The medical drama is back with a vengeance (Mon., March 22 10PM on Showtime), and to celebrate the return of our favorite no-nonsense RN, we're taking a look at TV's other famous pill-popping characters we've come to love (despite their issues) over the years.

We're not endorsing drug abuse of any kind, but it's a fact of life for some people, including these TV characters.

One man bands have always creeped me out. They never brought joy or happiness to my life. Even as a very, very small (in height, not width) child, they always looked like steampunk jukeboxes trapped inside some kind of twisted mechanical music machine that mocked their every step with annoying oompah-pah tunes.

One man, or rather two of him, have changed my perception on that phobia forever. Musician Fredrik Larsson has put together a beautiful rendition of TVs greatest tunes using nothing but a keyboard, an acoustic guitar and a DNA perfect clone of himself.

Trust me when I tell you this: the 'Charles in Charge' theme never sounded this, well, listenable.

The ongoing revival of the multicamera comedy format continues. Josh Schwartz is best known as the creator of The O.C.and one of the masterminds behind The CW's Gossip Girl; a show so powerful that it reshaped an entire network around it. He's also an executive producer and writer over at Chuck. Now Schwartz is teaming with Matt Miller, a fellow producer on Chuck, to get into the comedy business.

Schwartz and Miller are writing a multicamera comedy script for CBS. The premise doesn't break any new ground; it's about a newlywed couple in their 20s, picking up the story right after their honeymoon. But it's the pedigree behind it that gives it promise. Both Gossip Girl and Chuck have strong comedic elements.

If it comes off right, you can bet CBS will be interested. They've had tremendous success with multicamera comedies the past few years, almost single-handedly reviving the format with huge hits like How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory. It's the writing, not the format. And writing is something at which Schwartz has proven himself quite adept.

Oh, bad boys, what would we do without you? While in real life you're more trouble than you're worth, on screen your sulky swaggering, tough talk and icy eyes almost always belie a tender heart beneath the bravado. And that's where you're best enjoyed -- from a safe distance.

Here's a look at the TV desperados who made our hearts melt, in our countdown of TV's Top 20 Bad Boys. -- By Liane Bonin

Real-life dads are sometimes preoccupied with their careers and distracted by life's many complications. Happily, on TV, all dads have plenty of quality time to share with their kids, while dispensing encouraging words and occasional tough love.

Maybe that's because TV dads never spend much time at work. (We're pretty sure everyone's fathers would sign up for that!) Step into the wonderful make-believe world where every day is Father's Day, and join us as we count down our 20 favorite TV dads.

(S01E01) In the first five minutes of this show, viewers are treated to a visual definition of the phrase "fish out of water."

I generally don't like any comedy that starts out with the the main character losing everything and starting her life all over again. In a drama, it kind of works that the hero has to go from town to town searching for something she lost. In a comedy, it just means that we'll be spending the next half hour watching the hero say things like, "What did I get myself into?"

How good are you at spotting someone's true age? There's been a few times I've caught myself wondering how old that actor really is on TV, when they're playing someone my age and look ten years older. Do I really look that good? Then again, I've seen the opposite and thought, "damn, I am an old decrepit fart." In any case, I'll pull up IMDb and usually find myself in shock of how young/old the actor on-screen really is.

The whole actor-to-character age ratio thing got me curious, so I did a little research (with the help of some of the TV Squad team) and made a list of some of the more extreme and well-known (or, maybe to some, not-so-well-known) examples. By the way, we didn't include actors who played flashback scenes of their characters for short periods of time, as there are more of those than we have room for.

As if we didn't already have some incredible things to giveaway here already, here's one that just passed over the TV Squad desk just the other night, and it couldn't possibly wait until next week. We've got two copies of The OC - The Complete Series on DVD, which is already available in stores today. All you've got to do is submit a comment below before 5PM Eastern, December 6, and mention why you'd like to own the series. We'll randomly choose two winners to receive the DVDs!

Some other details:

To enter, leave a confirmed comment below stating why you'd like to own the The OC complete series on DVD.

The comment must be left before Thursday, December 6, 2007 at 5:00PM Eastern Time.

You may enter only once.

Two winners will be selected in a random drawing.

Two winners will receive a copy of The OC - The Complete Series DVDs (valued at $179.92).

CBS is on a good run, being the most watched network for the last five years, but they have taken a bit of heat for the formulaic way they have gone about doing it. Not arguing with success, the whole family of CSIs, and their crime based cousins, will be back, but the network is trying to branch out with some edgier programming. Most notably, Swingtown, Viva Laughlin, and Moonlight.